


Gap Year

by bioticnerfherder



Series: Breezeblocks: a modern AU [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cultural Differences, First Meetings, First Time, M/M, Origin Story, Travel, backpacking, the prequel to a one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-27 00:06:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9935942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bioticnerfherder/pseuds/bioticnerfherder
Summary: Hux takes a much needed vacation before continuing with his studies. He meets someone who will shake up his life - for good.(prequel toplease don’t gobut can be read as a standalone)





	1. Bangkok

**Author's Note:**

> the prequel to a one-shot that turned into a monster of an AU. i had no idea my random one-shot would grow legs and run circles around my head before i’d even finished it, and alas here we are!
> 
> this is dedicated to my wonderful irl friend [bourgeoiscat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bourgeoiscat) \- the daughter to my inner wine mom, and whose ass i’ve been trying to drag down the kylux rabbit hole with me for ages. i hope i’ve done justice to our favourite city! (and before anyone asks, all of the places named in this fic are real. i can personally guarantee it.)
> 
> also of note: this is my first attempt to write smut - apologies if it’s cringey!

Thailand is _hot_.

Hux was warned that right before the monsoon rains was not the best time to travel to South-east Asia - summer heat combined with the humidity of a region preparing for three months under constant rain made for an uncomfortable climate - but he ignored them. He needed this trip. Badly. He needed to leave England for a little while.

For good would be even better, if he’s honest with himself.

Hux watches the streets fly by from the comfort of his airconditioned taxi. The city is as lively as always, the streets constantly buzzing with various populations depending on the time of day - office workers, school children, food vendors, random pedestrians, tourists. Now, the sidewalks are packed with the evening crowds rising for Bangkok’s infamous nightlife; groups of tourists weave their way through the crowded sidewalks, people are settling down to eat dinner at random street stalls, young adults head to 7-11 to buy their first bottles of vodka for the night (the fact that you can even _buy_ hard liquor at convenience stores is entertaining to Hux).

“Where are you from?” The taxi driver asks him conversationally.

“England,” Hux replies.

“England!” The taxi driver glances back at him, flashing a smile before turning back to the road. “My daughter wants to study there. University.”

“Really?”

The driver nods. “She’s only small now, but she’s learning English. She’s better than me. My wife and I, we are saving up to send her to international school so she can go to England later!”

Hux smiles. “I’ve only just finished school myself.”

“Wow! Good for you! So you come here for holiday as reward?”

Hux nods. “Something like that.”

“Traveling by yourself? No family? Friend or girlfriend?”

He has none.

But instead of unloading his sob story onto this friendly taxi driver, who probably doesn’t want to hear it, he shakes his head (he doesn’t feel the need to specify that he’s never had a _girl_ friend).

“Oh, very good. You’re brave to travel alone. You staying in hotel or hostel? You can make many new friends in hostel.”

“Yes, I _am_ staying in a hostel. Never stayed in one before, actually.”

In all honesty, between the money left to him and all that he saved up by meticulous budgeting, he _could_ afford a nicer hotel instead of the cheap hostel he’s staying at. But why bother? He wants that stereotypical gap year backpacking experience, he wants to stay in hostels and take trains and buses and travel for cheap. Hux never had that, and at twenty four he thinks it’s the perfect time to catch up.

He has one more night in Bangkok before he hops on a southbound night train to the beaches of Phuket. That’s as far ahead as he planned - he specifically didn’t buy many travel tickets aside from his arrival and return, three months apart, so that his vacation can be as flexible as he wants. Hux still gets excited thinking about it now; he’s never done something so spontaneous, so unplanned, and it makes him feel wild. Though, he supposes, people do these things all the time. It’s not _that_ crazy, but it _is_ to Hux.

He wants to go up north eventually, he wants to take a cheap flight to Bali, wants to take a bus to Laos, he’s even considering spending a week in Singapore, but above all else it’s up to him. _That_ was the real purpose behind this break.

“Good! You will make many friends.”

Hux realises the driver is waiting for an answer after a long, awkward minute. “Yes,” Hux says with a tight smile. He gets an understanding nod in the rear-view mirror, and a comfortable silence falls over the taxi after that.

Spying his pink cheeks in the mirror, Hux makes a mental note to stop by Boots on his way to the train station tomorrow. His cheekbones and nose were tinted by the sun within hours of his arrival yesterday morning, and though he’s not the only tourist with a sunburn he should probably buy some more sunscreen (and some aloe) if he’s going to be on the beach for a few days.

But for tonight, Hux is determined to go out. He hasn’t been to a bar in months, he barely even socialised in the weeks leading up to exams and graduation. He’ll be back in Bangkok eventually - there are still things he would like to do and his return ticket departs from here - but he can’t bring himself to leave without experiencing what one of his classmates excitedly described as “the backpacker’s paradise.”

He _did_ choose a hostel near Khao San Road for a reason.

The taxi pulls up a few blocks away from the famous street, just below his hostel. Khao San has closed to cars for the night and traffic is already clogging the main roads coming off of it, so Hux quickly thanks the driver, hands him some _baht_ notes, and steps out onto the sidewalk. Hux makes his way through the many groups on their way to start their night, and the first thing he notices is that almost everyone is dressed extremely casually - much like his attire of shorts and a t-shirt, though he’s come from a day of touristy activities and they are headed for a night out. His planned wardrobe, jeans and a button-up, is immediately foregone and he decides he’ll just change into a clean shirt before heading back out again. ( _Stop planning so much, Armitage,_ he berates himself. _You’re supposed to be being spontaneous._ )

His first order of business, however, is to head back to the hostel and take an ice cold shower to relieve some of the sweat that is soaking through his clothes.

Almost immediately as he steps back out after his shower, he’s sweating again. Less so, given that the sun has set over Bangkok, but the dark of night offers little reprieve from the heat; the humidity clings to the air like an invisible, stagnant rainfall, and Hux is glad he chose a black shirt that won’t show sweat stains. It’s just his luck that most of the bars are open air, spilling onto the street, and definitely without AC. He sincerely hopes he’ll get used to the heat, that he’s only sweating so much because it’s his second day and that by the time he flies back to England in three months the humidity won’t feel as stifling anymore.

Hux walks down the busy street, refusing at least three offers of roast scorpion, before he settles for a random bar across from an Irish pub playing obscenely loud music. He’s not sure if the bar he chose is a single establishment or actually two; it’s hard to tell where the bar next door ends and where this one begins, given that their seating is made up of the same plastic tables and chairs organised haphazardly on the pavement. The only difference is that the tables on one side are full of patrons smoking hookah and smell strongly of the sweetly flavoured tobacco, while the people seated at tables on the other side are only drinking.

Whatever. At least he’ll be able to hear himself think, rather than at the pub across the street (which at this point is playing _Dragostea Din Tei_ , of all things).

Hux tiptoes around the tables and makes his way to the bar to order a drink. The bartender gives him an odd look but before he can say anything, Hux is interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey! You alone?” A high-pitched, sing-song voice asks.

He turns to face the offending person and is faced with a woman with the widest grin he’s ever seen. Her deep copper skin glows in the low light (possibly with sweat, like Hux’s own pale complexion is), her jet black hair is pulled into a bun atop her head, and she has cool grey eyes that are suddenly observing Hux with interest.

“Wait, I recognise you. Were you at the Grand Palace yesterday?”

Hux raises an eyebrow. “I _was_ at the Grand Palace yesterday… were you?”

“Ah, I knew I recognised you. I’m not trying to be creepy or anything,” she giggles, finally removing her hand from his shoulder, “you’re just easy to remember. The hair.” She taps the crown of her head, referencing Hux’s bright red hair. “And I like to people watch when I’m out and about. I’ve got a good memory, too.”

From the way she pronounces “out” and “about” Hux places her accent - Canadian.

The woman (who, in all honesty, doesn’t look like she’s older than him) offers her right hand to shake. “I’m Jaina, by the way.”

Hux shakes her hand. “I’m Hux.”

“Nice to meet you, Hux. Anyway, if you’re alone you should come join us! We’re always looking for some stragglers to make new friends. Well, _most_ of us. If you’re with some people, sorry! Didn’t mean to intrude. But this is obviously your first night out, because you’re not supposed to order drinks from the bar on Khao San - the waiters come to you.”

Ah, so that’s why the bartender gave Hux a look.

“Er, thanks,” Hux says as he tries to hide his embarrassment.

Jaina doesn’t miss a beat. “No problem at all! So will you join us or not?”

“Sure,” Hux shrugs. He might as well meet some people to hang out with; he doesn’t want to spend the entirety of his vacation alone. “Who exactly is ‘we?’”

“Oh, just us,” Jaina giggles again and leads him back onto the street, towards one of the tables set up on the concrete. “Guys, I got our first new friend of the night!”

There are three other people seated at the table: a man who looks suspiciously like Jaina (almost as if they’re twins), a small woman with brown eyes and black hair pulled into a low ponytail, and another man who has sun-kissed skin smattered with moles and messy hair falling past his chin. Hux awkwardly waves at them, accepting the chair Jaina pulls out for him next to the latter of the three.

“Hello,” Hux says stiffly in greeting.

“This is Hux,” Jaina does not seem to ever lose her bubbly nature. She gestures at the others one by one. “Hux, this is my brother Jacen, my partner Aphra, and our friend Kylo.”

Aphra, the other woman, smiles at him. “Nice to meet you, Hux!”

“Is this your first time in Thailand?” Jacen asks with only half of his attention on Hux - one hand is raised to catch a waiter’s attention.

“Yes, it is actually. First time out of continental Europe, if I’m being honest.”

“No shit!” Jacen turns to him fully now that a waiter is making their way over. “Well, your first bucket is on us. What’ll you have? Redbull vodka?”

Jaina makes a face at her brother. “Ugh, gross, just because you like that shit doesn’t mean everyone does.” She looks at the waiter. “A bucket of tequila and Fanta for me.”

“And you say _I’m_ gross,” Jacen rolls his eyes. “Redbull vodka, _khop khun kap_!”

“Same for me, _khop khun ka_ ,” Aphra says. She pointedly ignores the disgusted expression on Jaina’s face.

“I’ll have a rum and Coke, please,” Hux says with a smile. He’s read the basic phrases in his guidebook and knows how to say _hello_ and _thank you_ , but he doesn’t want to embarrass himself with his terrible accent yet. He realises Aphra’s Thai accent is very good, and though her English is also tinged with a Canadian accent she looks like she could be half-Thai (he mentally makes a note to ask her).

The waiter turns to the last member of their party, Kylo, who has yet to say a word.

“I’ll have the same as him,” he says, gesturing at Hux, and the accent is unmistakably American.

As the waiter leaves them, Hux turns to the rest of them and asks no one in particular, “are you all here in Thailand together?”

“Kind of,” Jaina says. “We all teach at the same school up north, in Chiang Mai.”

Aphra nods. “Jaina and I came because the school we’re working at has connections with our uni. We’re doing a gap year since we just graduated. Jacen, well, he came through Jaina. And we only met Kylo when we got here last month.”

“And we have yet to unlock his backstory,” Jacen teases. “You’ve been here, what, three months longer than us?”

“I’ve been here four months,” Kylo nods. His voice is deep, and not… unpleasant. “I’m teaching for another two.”

Jaina claps her hands. “He speaks!” She turns to Hux. “Usually it takes him a few buckets to open up,” she flashes a mischievous grin at Kylo, “but I’m glad you’re coming out of your shell earlier, tonight.”

Kylo rolls his eyes. “You keep this up I’ll crawl right back into it.”

“Noo,” Jaina whines. “You can’t do this to me!”

“Hux,” Aphra leans over the table to stage-whisper at him, “I apologise in advance for my girlfriend’s behaviour. She’s very… energetic.”

Hux nods, thinking to change the subject. “Right. What do you all teach?”

Aphra, it turns out, _is_ Thai-Canadian, and teaches history. Jaina teaches computer programming, while Jacen teaches math. Hux turns to Kylo for his answer when their drinks arrive.

“Cheers!” Jacen exclaims.

It takes a lot of effort for Hux not to drop his jaw amusement when they pick up the small plastic buckets with straws that the waiter has brought to their table - he _was_ told that drinks are served in literal buckets here, but to see it for the first time is something else. He feels a little weird lifting up a bucket, one that is more suited to making sandcastles on the beach rather than holding a mixed drink, and some of the liquid sloshes over his fingers as he raises it in salute with his new ‘friends.’ He can’t help a little smile at that, internally laughing at his clumsiness, and licks one of his knuckles to remove the sticky syrupy feeling of Coke.

He notices Kylo staring at him from the corner of his eye, and puts down his bucket before turning to him. “So, what was it that you teach?”

“English,” Kylo responds quickly, his gaze darting up to meet Hux’s eyes from somewhere.

“Language or literature?”

“Language. And only basics, to the younger kids. I’m not like the rest of them,” he gestures at their companions with his chin, “since I don’t have my Bachelor’s yet. I took last semester off to come here, which is why I’m leaving earlier to go back for my last two years.” He glances down again, very briefly, and offers a timid smile when he looks back up. “You said this was your first time in Thailand?”

It’s only when Hux spares a glimpse at Kylo’s smile when he realises that Kylo has been looking at _his_ lips.

Hux weighs his options. Kylo, now that Hux thinks about it, is attractive. Very. His black tank top does nothing to hide his muscular arms or toned body, and his angular face is _really_ nice to look at. Hux hasn’t been with anyone in a long time (seeing as he only does one night stands and all his staying at home to study in the past few months wasn’t conducive to that lifestyle), and wouldn’t that just be the perfect ‘night out in Bangkok’ story? And Kylo is staring at Hux’s lips, which means he would be open to it, right?

Hux decides to play it cool, just in case he misread Kylo. “Yes, actually. Though I’m just here on holiday, not for gap year. Still got a long road ahead of me.”

Kylo raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his bucket. “Still in school?”

“No, I’ve graduated,” Hux pauses for a drink. “I just have a lot of qualifiers before I can start working. And my residency.”

“Residency?”

Hux takes another sip. “Medical training. I’ve just graduated from medical school.”

Kylo regards him funnily. “You look kinda young to have finished med school already.”

“Please,” Hux scoffs. “I’m probably not much older than you. You Americans like to send your children to do a Bachelor’s before medical school, whereas in countries with proper secondary education you go straight there after high school.”

“Ouch,” Kylo tries to sound offended but the smirk on his lips gives him away. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you that you _probably_ shouldn’t be insulting the country of someone you just met?”

Hux barely holds in the frown at the mention of _parents_ , catching himself just in time. “Unfortunately not. They _did_ , however, make sure I inherited their British Superiority Complex.”

Kylo looks like he doesn’t know what to do for a beat before he starts to laugh out loud. It’s infectious, and Hux finds himself smirking as he reaches for his drink. He’s not normally so… sarcastic - the word Phasma uses to describe him is ‘uptight’ - but Kylo seems to be into it. And Hux is actually enjoying this; he finds himself pleased to have made Kylo laugh.

“Alright Mr. Snooty Englishman,” Kylo concedes, “how old are you, then? Twenty three?”

“Twenty four,” Hux glances at Kylo and the now empty bucket in Kylo’s (large) hands. “And by the way you’ve absolutely _drained_ that bucket like some frat boy I’d wager you haven’t learned how to pace yourself yet. So, twenty?”

Kylo looks impressed. “Turned twenty one when I got here. Interesting deduction.”

“Well, one would hope a doctor has at least basic observational skills.”

“I can’t say I disagree.”

Kylo gestures to Hux to wait a minute, trying to flag down a waiter to order another drink. Hux takes the chance to observe the rest of their companions, who have apparently lost interest in the two of them - Aphra and Jaina are making friends with the people on the neighbouring table, while Jacen has somehow gotten two Nordic tourists to sit next to him and is trying to chat up… both of them, probably. And by the look of it he’s been fairly successful with one so far, seeing as his hand is snaked around the shoulders of one of the women.

Well. Hux can’t complain; he’s enjoying Kylo’s attention. And he wouldn’t mind _more_ of it, either.

A few buckets and a _lot_ of sarcastic comments later, Jaina interrupts Kylo mid-sentence.

“Hey you two! We’re heading to some rooftop bar that these guys just told us about. Apparently there’s live acoustic music. You in?”

Hux exchanges a glance with Kylo and shrugs. “Sure, why not.”

“Okay,” Kylo nods.

Jaina grins. “Great!” She knocks on the table in front of her brother to catch his attention. “Jacen! Rooftop bar. Live music. Coming?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Jacen responds immediately. “Freja and Linnea are interested in going to a ping pong show tonight.”

“Well,” Aphra wrinkles her nose, “don’t say I didn’t warn you. Have... _fun_ , I guess.” Aphra sounds annoyed, as if she’s disappointed in Jacen for partaking, and even Jaina shoots him a look. He shrugs, dismissing both of them, and turns back to the other women.

Hux himself heard some warnings about these ping pong shows from classmates who’ve been to Thailand, but he’s never actually been told what they _are_. As the group - Hux, Kylo, Jaina, Aphra, and a few others from the table next to them - settle their bills and make their way to the next bar, he leans towards Kylo (probably a little closer than necessary) and asks him quietly.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No,” Hux shakes his head. “I was warned but nobody actually told me what they are… just that they’re an _experience_.”

Kylo laughs so hard it brings tears to his eyes. “Oh, they’re an _experience_ alright. And whoever refused to tell you was just trying to spare you.”

The rooftop bar is crowded, and the music is _loud_ , but as promised it’s live and it’s acoustic - a welcome break from the club beats and pop songs played by everyone on the street below. When they finally squeeze onto a table with a fresh set of drinks, in glasses this time, Kylo has to lean even closer to Hux to be heard. Hux is glad the bar is relatively dark because he can feel the flush on his cheeks spread all the way to his chest (but it could easily be thanks to the sheer heat) when Kylo whisper-shouts in his ear.

“So, what have you been up to in Thailand so far?”

“Not much at all,” Hux practically yells back. “I just landed in Bangkok yesterday. I’m taking the train down to Phuket tomorrow.”

Kylo tilts his head at him. “Such a short time in Bangkok?”

“I’ll be back. My return ticket leaves from here, so it’ll be a ‘base camp’ of sorts I suppose.” He uses his fingers to imitate the inverted commas.

“Ah. Any other plans then?”

“Not really. I’ve got a return ticket and that’s about it.”

“The adventurous type,” Kylo smirks. “I like it.”

Hux doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s never done anything like this before. “More like the ‘I just needed an escape and will figure out my plan as I go along’ type. I want to head up north eventually, maybe even fly over to Indonesia too. Three months is plenty of time to do that.”

“A three month vacation? Wow, you med students know how to live.”

Again, Hux bites his tongue. He definitely wouldn’t be able to afford this trip if it weren’t for his recently acquired inheritance, but Kylo doesn’t need to know that. “We just know the merits of taking a much needed break once in awhile.”

“Right,” and Kylo flashes him another trademark smirk.

It emboldens Hux. He leans forward, more into Kylo’s personal space, and places a hand on his knee under the table. “So what are a bunch of young adults teaching in Chiang Mai doing on Khao San Road, then?”

Aside from his smirk widening, Kylo almost doesn’t react to Hux’s hand. “We’ve got a long weekend at school, and the twins,” he nods in Jaina’s direction, “have never been to Bangkok. We hopped on the train and here we are.”

“Ah, so _you’ve_ been here before. How does it compare to other cities, then?”

Kylo lowers his voice, leaning in dangerously close. His eyes seem to be devouring Hux, freezing Hux in place. “There is no other place like Bangkok.”

Hux’s breath catches in his throat.

They stare at each other for a long moment, before the bar around them erupts simultaneously into song.

“ _I found a reason for me! To change who I used to be! A reason to start over new!_ ”

Hux has to burst out laughing, and Kylo immediately joins him. The singer on stage isn’t bad - he’s actually quite good - but it’s the _rest_ of the bar that is so comically out of tune and too drunk to know otherwise.

“Well, all our drunk friends have now permanently ruined this song for me,” Kylo jokes.

“Really? It wasn’t ruined by the thousands of plays it’s had on the radio?” Hux grimaces. “Though perhaps the radio is different in the US. This song was ruined for me after about hearing it twenty times on the same afternoon, months ago.” Hux pauses, measuring his next words very carefully. “I should probably take this song as my cue to leave.”

Kylo furrows his eyebrows. “You’re leaving?”

“Yes,” Hux says with an air of indifference. He pauses to leave some cash under his glass before looking Kylo square in the eye. “Are you coming?”

Kylo grins.

He gestures something at Aphra before standing, following Hux through the crowded bar towards the exit.

“Have you been to the club yet?” Kylo says, leaning near Hux’s ear as they descend the stairs.

“Which club?”

“No, silly, _The Club_. That’s what the club in the next building over is called,”  Kylo chuckles. Hux can feel his breath on the back of his neck and can’t resist the shiver making its way down his spine, pooling in his belly.

He barely realises what he’s doing before he does it. His mind only registers the empty hallway at the bottom of the stairs, and once they reach the landing he yanks Kylo forward with a hand on the neckline of his tank top. Hux kisses him urgently, a little less gracefully than he would have liked, pressing up against Kylo’s ridiculously muscular body. His other hand snakes around the back of Kylo’s neck and his fingers tangle themselves in that unruly mop of dark hair.

Kylo’s response is immediate. His hands go to Hux’s waist, squeezing lightly and pushing with just enough pressure to back them up against the wall. He opens his mouth when he feels Hux’s tongue gently licking at his lower lip, and he’s soon moaning into Hux’s mouth. The sound is quiet, barely audible over the echoes of the acoustic guitar upstairs and the lively street outside, but to Hux’s ears it’s obscene, and his blood begins directing itself to his groin.

But as turned on as he feels, and as much as Hux _wants_ Kylo, he is _not_ about to walk down the street with a boner.

Hux pulls back, the noise of their _wet_ mouths separating cringe-worthy, and fixes Kylo with a very hard stare. “How far is your hostel?”

“I guess The Club isn’t happening,” Kylo smirks. His lips are slick and _tempting_ and Hux has to stop himself from leaning in again.

“Very funny.” He lets go of Kylo, dropping his hands to his hips. “Are we doing this, or not?”

Kylo seems entertained by Hux’s change in demeanor. “Calm down, bossypants. You’re in luck because our _hotel_ is just down the road. And I don’t think Jacen will be coming back to our room any time tonight.”

“Well,” Hux raises an eyebrow, “by all means, lead the way.”

Hux will deny to anyone how fast he and Kylo weave their way through the drunken crowds of Khao San Road, but they’re at the hotel within minutes, and in Kylo’s room soon after that. Kylo shuts the door and Hux pounces again. He doesn't waste any time before biting and sucking at Kylo’s lips, sliding his thigh against Kylo’s crotch, twisting his fingers into Kylo’s hair, _anything_ to get him to make _that_ noise again.

It works - Kylo moans and Hux’s blood drops at the sound, heading straight for his dick and drawing a moan out of him, too. Kylo growls against Hux’s mouth, grabs his ass and lifts him up as if he weighs nothing. Hux can feel Kylo’s own quickly rising erection, filling up against Hux’s hip, and - _fuck, that feels_ big - he masks another moan in the crook of Kylo’s neck, lapping at the sweat-soaked skin of his collarbone. He holds on for dear life, hands and mouth firmly planted in and on Kylo’s hair and neck, as he lets Kylo carry him towards one of the twin-size beds of the room.

Hux doesn’t even stop to think about how both of them, both six-foot-odd tall men, could not possibly fit on this tiny bed; his thoughts are too focused on _Kylo_ , on the groans he can feel vibrating in Kylo’s throat, on Kylo’s huge cock trapped between their bodies, on his _own_ arousal. All the stimulation is borderline painful, but that makes it all the more arousing - it’s a vicious feedback loop on repeat in his mind, and all he can think about is how _much_ he wants to be filled, how _much_ it will hurt because it’s been so long, too long. He moves his mouth back against Kylo’s as they collapse onto a bed, thrusting his tongue between those plush lips.

He feels Kylo’s hand move away from his ass, feels it brush against the button of his shorts, and in a moment of clarity Hux once more pulls his mouth free.

“Condoms?” Is all his breath can get out audibly.

Kylo’s eyes go wide in surprise for a second, and Hux’s erection immediately starts to flag.

“Shit,” Kylo whispers. “I… didn’t expect something like this to happen. So I, um, didn’t really… plan...”

Hux can't blame him, not really; he himself didn't expect it. It isn't like _he_ was prepared, either. Looking up at Kylo from underneath him, Hux sighs exasperatedly but on the same breath it turns into a giggle. Kylo lifts up slightly, supporting his weight with hands bracketing Hux’s head, and just stares at Hux until he, too, starts chuckling. Kylo collapses down on the mattress next to Hux, resting his forehead on Hux’s shoulder, until the vibrations of laughter rocking the bed subside.

They’re both silent for an awkward moment before Kylo speaks again.

“There’s, um, a 7-11 across the street if you’re… still interested?”

Hux twists his neck to get a better view of the blundering oaf pressed against his side. “They sell… condoms in 7-11?”

Kylo sits up, looking down at Hux with an innocent grin. “Yep. And lube. And grilled cheeses.”

“Grilled cheese sandwiches?”

“And hot dogs, too.”

The grilled cheeses, it turns out, are actually just panini-pressed ham and cheese sandwiches. Kylo buys three, along with a cheese sausage that’s cut into pieces and served to him in a clear plastic bag with a wooden skewer, while Hux pays for their ‘supplies’ at the next register over. Instead of heading straight back to his room, Kylo plops down onto the sidewalk right outside the store; Hux sighs and sits down next to him, trying not to think about dirtying his beige shorts and covertly wedging the plastic bag of lube and condoms between their thighs.

“Bet you weren’t expecting this night to go like this,” Kylo pushes one of the sandwiches into Hux’s hand and starts to eat one of the others. He lets out a quiet chuckle. “But the grilled cheese will make up for it.”

“I’m sure,” Hux replies as he takes a bite. The sandwich is, admittedly, not terrible. “This is actually an excellent drunk snack.”

“It’s nothing compared to a banana roti. There’s this one guy up in Chiang Mai who knows to expects me at his cart every weekend.”

“A banana what?”

Kylo laughs. “I forgot it’s only your second day here. A banana roti. It’s… I guess you could call it crepe with egg and banana, topped with condensed milk.” He pauses to impale a few sausage pieces with the wooden skewer and bite them off. “I’m sure there will be someone around cooking them when you get to Phuket. Just ask for _roti klueay khai_.”

“Fat chance,” Hux huffs. “I haven’t even had the courage to say hello or thank you, my accent would probably be so atrocious I’d end up insulting everyone and their mother.”

“Come on,” Kylo flashes Hux a dangerous smile around another bite of sandwich, “it’s not that difficult. Just repeat after me: _roti klueay khai, khop khun kap._ ”

Hux rolls his eyes. “I’m not taking Thai lessons from _you_ , a foreigner. Even if you told me you were fluent.”

Kylo shrugs. “I’m pretty good with languages. Thai is all about having the right intonation.”

“What languages do you speak, then?”

“English, obviously. French, Spanish, some Mandarin, I’m learning Thai… I picked up basic Portuguese when I was in Brazil, and I also want to learn Hindi.”

Hux can only gape at the man sat beside him. “Wow.”

“Well,” Kylo says dismissively, “I used to travel with my… dad a lot. And my mother saw value in learning languages.”

“So you study languages because your parents told you to?”

Kylo stiffens, his eyes narrowing at the last few bites of sandwich left in his hand. “Did _you_ study medicine because your parents told you to?”

“No,” Hux wipes the crumbs off his hands onto his shorts. “My parents have been out of the picture for a long time.”

“Out of the picture?” Kylo asks cautiously, turning to Hux with confusion in his eyes.

Hux sighs and regards Kylo carefully. How much does he want to tell him? His usual partners, his one night stands, rarely know much more than his name; Kylo already knows too much.

But the man in question raises an eyebrow at Hux, as if challenging him to answer.

“Not quite present in my life,” Hux relents. “My mother passed when I was four. My father lost custody of me pretty quickly afterwards. It was my guardian who raised me, and _she_ was a surgeon. She’s the reason I went to medical school.”

“Sounds like you have a lot of respect for her,” Kylo offers him a small smile.

“I did. She passed away a month before my graduation.”

Kylo looks slightly dumbstruck. “Oh… I’m… I'm sorry for your loss?” Suddenly, he slaps his own forehead. “Shit! The comment about your parents I made earlier tonight. Shit, I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.”

Hux smiles apologetically at Kylo. “You didn’t know, it’s alright.”

“Is… is that why you came on this holiday? Take some time to yourself for a while?”

After Hux nods his response, they fall silent. Despite the late hour, the crowds on Khao San are still active as ever and the two of them take a few minutes to just… sit there, observing all the goings-on around them.

“So,” Hux finally says, standing up. “In an effort to not talk about whatever has brought us both to where we are now, let’s just… focus on the present. Are we going to make use of what I bought or no?”

The look Kylo flashes him is predatory.

***

The next morning, Hux wakes up an hour before his checkout time at the hostel and curses himself for having slept so long. He carefully extricates himself from Kylo’s arms, which somehow snaked around him at some point in the night, and hastily pulls his clothes on. He’s halfway to the door when he realises he forgot his boxers, but he’s running late enough as it is and his shoes are already on. He needs to walk back to his hostel, quickly, so that he can shower and pack up his ridiculously sized backpack before he checks out and catches a taxi to the train station. With a sigh, he tiptoes the rest of the way across the room and pauses for the briefest of moments in the doorway.

Kylo is still asleep, and damn him he _still_ looks good even when his bed hair is a mess and his sleeping face is vulnerable. Hux almost regrets leaving without saying anything.

But Hux doesn’t get attached. And he has a train to catch.

Hux leaves the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> of course there’s a second chapter because gotdamn these two just love to make my life complicated!! and probably there will be actual smut rather than just the lead up to it lol… these boys just cockblocking themselves… BUT ALWAYS PRACTICE SAFE SEX EVERYONE!!
> 
> fun fact: Jaina and Jacen are actually my OCs from another AU (that i have yet to write) and are obviously named after the Solo twins from Legends canon.


	2. Chiang Mai

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter (briefly) earns the explicit rating. also, though this fic can be read as a standalone, this chapter has a few references to the other one-shot in this ‘verse, [please don’t go](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9691553), to connect some dots/fill in some backstory.
> 
> EDIT: this fic now has some [BEAUTIFUL art](http://bioticnerfherder.tumblr.com/post/159621197221) done by the incredible [sigalawin](http://sigalawin.tumblr.com/)!! thenks kim for my lyf <3

“Welcome to Chiang Mai International Airport. Thank you for flying with us and we hope you will choose Air Asia again. _Sawasdee ka_.”

Hux keeps his eyes glued to the small window as the plane taxis along the runway. There’s not much to see besides the light filtering out of the glass panes of the terminal, at least not in the dark of night. Not that there was much to see from the sky, either - Chiang Mai is smaller and much less densely populated than the metropolis of Bangkok. The city, nestled in the mountainous and cooler north, will make a nice exchange for the hot, sandy beaches of Phuket (his shoulders are still peeling from the horrific sunburn Hux got within hours of hitting the beach).

He tries, and fails, to stop his thoughts turning to the other reason he wants to be in Chiang Mai.

The couple sat next to him stand, and Hux realises it’s time for his row to disembark. He collects his small pack from under the seat in front of him and shuffles down the aisle, shuffles through the airport to collect his _real_ backpack from the baggage claim, shuffles all the way to the taxi stand and collapses into the back of a cab. He’s exhausted - after meeting some Scottish tourists on the train to Phuket, he spent enough time with them over the past two weeks to be ‘all partied out’ for a while. Hux decided to fly north instead of having to take two night-trains, and he even opted for a hotel instead of a hostel. A cheap hotel, recommended to him by the owner of the bar on Patong beach he spent way too much time at, but his own room and bathroom nonetheless.

Once he gets there, Hux shuffles straight to the bathroom for a long, cold shower to rinse off the sweat of the day and the plane smell. He pauses briefly in the mirror, electing to once more ignore the now two-week-old stubble on his chin in favour of going to bed. He passes out almost immediately - it’s late, and he has no intention of doing anything tonight. Besides, the middle of the week means it’s highly unlikely he’ll be missing much in terms of nightlife. Not that he cares too much.

Hux falls asleep and definitely does _not_ dream about a sun-kissed face dotted with moles.

*

It isn’t until his fourth night in Chiang Mai that he thinks he _sees_ that very face.

Hux chews on a bite of banana roti, contemplating the pros and cons of trying to smuggle a case of sangsom rum (which he’s developed a taste for) home with him in around two and a half month’s time, while seated at one of a few tables on the pavement down the road from his hotel.

The street stall belongs to a chef calling himself _Khun Roti_ , Mister Roti, and ever since Hux discovered the man’s cart he’s been ending everyday with a banana roti and a few pulls from a bottle of sangsom, right here at this same table on the street. Chiang Mai has been calming - a nice reprieve from the nonstop partying with his Scottish ‘friends’ - and he’s managed to see most of what he wanted to. He even spent an entire afternoon at _Doi Suthep_ , admiring the glittering gold stupas and the view of the city sprawled out below it, making it worth climbing all three-hundred-something steps to get there. Hux has already started making plans to move on, perhaps further north to the mountain town of Pai to hike in some of the national parks, or even east to cross the border into Laos.

The disappointment he feels in not having run into Kylo here is… _nonexistent_ , he tells himself. But it’s there nonetheless, and there’s nothing his conscious mind can do to change it. He regrets leaving without saying anything that morning in Bangkok, for not exchanging email addresses or _something_ , but it’s too late now. Hux constantly has to remind himself it’s for the better. No reason to change the way he’s always done things, not even for some stranger who didn’t quite feel like one; Hux didn’t take this holiday to find attachments. He took it to shed himself of them.

For now, Hux continues eating his second dinner of banana roti from the styrofoam container with a wooden skewer, meditating over the sounds of people milling about on the street and the hiss of oil as _Khun Roti_ fries another crepe for another customer.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Hux startles, not having noticed the person who’s just sat across from him and - oh.

Kylo scowls at him. “I’m not going to ask you again.”

The sense of entitlement rolling off Kylo ignites Hux’s annoyance. _Why_ had he regretted leaving this oaf the morning after they had sex?

“What a dumb question. I’m on holiday.”

“It’s not a dumb question,” Kylo hisses. “You’re at my roti stall. I come here every Saturday night.”

Hux looks at Kylo for a few seconds, glancing at the roti chef before looking back at Kylo. “I’m pretty sure this is _Khun Roti_ ’s stall, not yours.”

“I’m going to call you a stalker and then leave.” Kylo makes to get up.

“Fine,” Hux sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “My hotel is down the road, I found _Khun Roti_ ’s stall walking back there and this is my third night sitting here eating this delicious fried junk, and before you ask _no_ I did _not_ realise this was _your_ hangout place and _no_ I did _not_ sit here hoping to run into you.” The last part is… not entirely true. Hux may have _hoped_ to run into Kylo, but he hadn’t anticipated to actually run into him while eating sweet banana crepes.

Kylo straightens his back, regarding Hux with confusion. “How long have you been in Chiang Mai?”

“Since I flew in from Phuket on Wednesday. I… honestly, I’m quite surprised right now, Kylo. What are the chances?”

The question was intended to be rhetorical, but Kylo answers all the same. “Considering that the population of metropolitan Chiang Mai is fifteen times smaller than that of Bangkok, it doesn’t seem so surprising to me.”

Hux snorts. “Have you been sitting in on Jacen’s math lessons, then?”

“I can still leave…” Kylo gestures to the street behind him as he sneers. “Like you did.”

“Oh _please_ ,” Hux scoffs, even if he’s secretly pleased there’s a chance Kylo might be as mad at him for leaving as Hux himself is. “Did you expect me to stay? Isn’t that the point of random hook-ups?”

Kylo casts his eyes down and remains silent. Hux barely hears what Kylo says next, straining his ears and only for a vague idea of the words. Perhaps Hux wasn’t meant to hear - it’s more mumbled to Kylo himself under his breath than spoken out loud.

“Was it just that?”

_No_ , Hux thinks.

Hux sighs, trying to sound more casual than he feels inside. “Look, I know it’s a terrible excuse but I literally had a train to catch that day. I was running late and you were still sleeping, and I felt either waking you or leaving without doing so was equally douchey. So I went for the quicker option because, well, the train. And I’m sorry. If…” Hux hesitates before he continues. “If it makes you feel any better… I do regret going the easy route. I _did_ have fun that night, Kylo. And I _did_ enjoy spending time with you.”

Where the hell was this coming from? _Casual, Armitage, casual!_

“Yeah?” Kylo looks back up at him, a cocky smirk on his lips but an innocent, hopeful gleam in his eye. “Quick and easy not _quite_ your style anymore, Hux?”

The innuendo was obviously intended as a joke, but it resonates with Hux’s recent emotions so much he has to force himself not to think too deeply on the implications. He needs a _drink_.

Kylo seems to notice Hux’s discomfort because his smirk vanishes and he becomes flustered. “That was a joke. But, um, well… I guess I accept your apology? And I… um, I also enjoyed, er, spending time with you.” Kylo glances over his shoulder at the man still diligently making crepes for his steady stream of customers. “Tell you what. Why don’t we, uh, why don’t we start over? I’ll go buy myself the snack I originally came here for and we can just… talk. Over banana rotis.” Kylo smiles timidly.

“Alright.”

Hux watches Kylo get up before he reaches for the conveniently-sized bottle of sangsom rum nestled perfectly into one of his shorts’ pockets. He takes a few small sips straight from the bottle, rolling the liquor around in his mouth each time, before he recaps it and puts it away. Hux then turns his attention to Kylo, waiting in front of the pan as his roti is prepared, exchanging a few words with _Khun Roti_ (probably in Thai, but Hux is too far to tell). Kylo hands him some _baht_ and makes his way back to the table.

“So,” Kylo starts as he takes his seat once more, putting his styrofoam box of roti down on the table and digging in. “How are you enjoying Chiang Mai?”

“I like it,” Hux nods. “It’s… calm. Relaxing. More spiritual. Admittedly that’s probably because I’ve visited more temples in the past two days than I have in my whole life, and also because I haven’t… gone _out_. Aside from the night market last night, and, well, coming to get roti here.”

Kylo hums in acknowledgement, his mouth full of food. “Yes,” Kylo says after he swallows. “You’re just not going to the right places. There’s a whole side of this city you haven’t seen.”

“I’m sure there is.”

“You don’t seem too enthusiastic,” Kylo tilts his head as he chews on another mouthful.

“Well, I’ve seen what I wanted to see. And as much as I’ve enjoyed it, it’s nearing time to move on. Maybe go further north, for some hiking.” He shrugs. “Who knows?

Kylo shakes his head. “I don’t think four days is quite enough here.”

“What else would you suggest I do?”

Hux listens to Kylo detailing his favourite parts of Chiang Mai, the lesser known things to do and the most underrated places to see, for what is probably twenty minutes but feels much longer. Kylo includes an animated anecdote with every activity and every place, and Hux could honestly listen to Kylo for hours. The thought startles him, and again he feels the urge for a drink. He digs into his pocket again to retrieve his bottle.

“And there’s also the-” Kylo stills at the sight of the bottle. “Hux… are you… are you drinking straight up _sangsom_?”

“...yes?”

“From the bottle?”

“Obviously.”

“With… with no chaser.”

Hux pointedly looks at the table. “Would you look at that, I forgot to buy a Coke to chase my rum with,” he deadpans.

Kylo wrinkles his nose at him. “I don’t know how you can do that. That shit is nasty… it gives the _worst_ hangovers.”

“Well,” Hux shrugs and punctuates his point by taking a small sip from the bottle, “I just happened to develop a taste for it. Blame the Australian expat who insisted I try it. But now that I think about it,” Hux muses, “he probably knew I’d like it.”

He doesn’t miss the look that flashes through Kylo’s eyes. “Did you… spend a lot of _time_ with him?”

“Christ, no. I mean, yes, but only because he owns the bar and I spent far too much time _there._  Drinking far too much of _this_.” He gives the bottle of sangsom a shake, making the liquid inside jingle. “Besides, I’m pretty sure the man who co-owns the bar is his partner.”  The mysterious Galen didn’t say much, and even when he did Hux could never ascertain his accent. But Hux saw the way he and Orson looked at each other and Hux could just _tell_. “Doesn’t that sound like such a life goal? Retiring to a tropical country and opening a bar on the beach with your partner?”

The fact that he saw no problem with actually saying this out loud signifies he’s probably had enough to drink tonight, so he caps the bottle tightly and stuffs it into his shorts.

Kylo, on the other hand, is still considering his comment. “I don’t think you would like that.”

“Like what?”

“That kind of life. Retiring on the beach somewhere. No, you seem like the kind who’d go insane.”

“Just because I’ve had your cock up my arse doesn’t mean you know everything about me.”

“One,” Kylo rolls his eyes, “you enjoyed that so don’t complain, and two, well. I’m good at reading people.”

“Good with people?” Hux questions. “Good with languages, good with people. What are you, some sort of diplomat?”

Kylo narrows his eyes at Hux for a moment. “As I was _saying_ , I don’t think you’d like retiring on a beach. Look at you. You’re on holiday - you’ve spent a few days sightseeing by yourself in Chiang Mai, you’ve just come from two weeks in Phuket where, I’m assuming, most of your time was spent partying and lounging on the beach. And the result is you, honestly, kinda look half mad.” Hux opens his mouth to protest but Kylo ignores him. “You haven’t shaved since you got to Thailand, have you? You look halfway to crazy, because you’re… _bored_ , I guess. Not quite the right word, but whatever. Anyway, you’re the type that needs something more than just relaxing. You need something to stimulate your mind. Or,” he smiles wickedly, “some _one_.”

Hux’s breath hitches at the sight of _that_ smile. He wants to wipe that stupid smirk off Kylo’s face by covering it with his own lips.

Hux waits a few beats, making sure his voice is steady, before he calmly replies. “Is that your incredibly convoluted and complicated plan to get into my bed again?”

“As I recall, we were in _my_ bed, and no, I just came up with that comment on the fly.”

“Well,” Hux stands up, picking up the remains of both of their empty roti containers and utensils to throw away, “it worked. I’m going back to my hotel. With or without you, that’s up to you.”

As he stands, Kylo seems to notice something on Hux’s shirt for the first time and bursts into laughter.

“Hux, what are you _wearing_?”

Hux glances down at his attire. _A tank top,_ he wants to say, _one of the only shirts I can wear because my shoulders are so sore from sunburn that even t-shirts hurt and this is the third tank top I’ve bought in the past week_. Instead, he shrugs and says, “a recent purchase. It’s comfortable, and I haggled a good price for it at the market last night.”

“You do realise that that is a Sesame Street character, right?”

He looks down at the shirt once more, at the smirking face of Oscar the Grouch looking back at him, and rolls his eyes. “Of course I do. I have a certain kinship with this good old chap here,” he says as he pats his chest. “And I’ve always got Oscar for company if you’re not coming.”

Hux doesn’t pause to see if Kylo is following as he stalks away from the table and throws away the used food utensils when he passes the trash bin. He doesn’t pause as he continues down the street, doing his customary pat of his pockets to double check his wallet, room keys, and bottle of sangsom are still there, and only throws a glance over his shoulder when they pass in front of the Family Mart next to the hotel, about fifty meters down the road from _Khun Roti_. Kylo is, of course, following him, a curious look in his eyes - a cross between annoyance and intrigue - and his hands shoved into his shorts’ pockets. Hux strolls with confidence he doesn’t quite feel through the quiet (and open-air) lobby of the hotel, climbs up all three flights of stairs to the third floor, and holds the door of his room open for Kylo before he follows.

“I’m going for a shower,” Hux announces as he throws the keys onto the dresser. “I’m covered in… tourist sweat from the day. Make yourself comfortable, I guess.”

He shuts himself in the bathroom before Kylo can protest. The cold shower is not as refreshing as Hux hoped it would be, and he can’t tell if his fingers are trembling from the sangsom still coursing through his veins or the prospect of sleeping with Kylo again. When he steps out of the shower stall, Hux briefly considers pulling on his shorts and tank top again but decides against it - Kylo has already seen all of him, so there’s no point in protecting his modesty.

Evidently, there are _some_ points. Kylo is sprawled out across his double bed, shirtless and watching TV propped up on one elbow, conveniently showing off his biceps. His chest and abdomen(which are toned but not _quite_ at a six or eight pack as Kylo had drunkenly boasted in Bangkok) are on full display, and there’s no way he’s _not_ subtly flexing something. _Show off_. Hux is almost embarrassed by his own wiry frame and long, slender legs, all on pretty much full display with only the small towel wrapped around his hips.

“What are you watching?” Hux asks, trying to sound casual. As if his blood isn’t starting to pool low in his belly.

“Soccer.”

“I didn’t know you watched _football_ ,” Hux says, emphasis on the proper title of the sport.

“I don’t, but the hotel only has basic cable. It was either a late night Thai drama or the tail-end of the first match in the Confederations Cup. And sports are easier to follow along.”

“Don’t let any other Englishmen hear you call football a _sport_ ,” Hux snorts. “To them, it is a _lifestyle_.” He approaches the bed to stand at the edge and faces the TV. The tournament hosts Germany are currently winning, though the game doesn’t look particularly interesting. Not when he has Kylo sprawled out below him like this.

“Not to you?”

“Sports were never quite my thing.”

Kylo shifts, ‘standing’ on his knees and ambling across the mattress to be directly in front of Hux. He meets Hux’s gaze, a dangerous look in his eyes. “Me neither. The only thing team sports in school ever did for me as a kid was really help cement my choice in partners.”

He leans in towards Hux obviously aiming for a kiss, but Hux stops him with a finger on his lips.

“Let’s not repeat our mistake of last time and actually make sure we’re prepared first. Because I have neither lube nor condoms.”

“I bought some,” Kylo smirks, his lips still pressed against Hux's finger, and nods at the bedside table. Sure enough, there they are.

Hux drops his hand. “I was _not_ in the shower long enough for you to have had time to buy that.”

“Family Mart is literally right outside your hotel, Hux.” Kylo chuckles, placing his hands on Hux’s hips. “And yes, you _did_ take a long-ass shower. Though I can’t really complain. It means you'll be nice and clean for me.”

Hux’s own complaints are silenced by Kylo’s lips on his, and _god_ has Hux wanted this everyday since Bangkok.

Kylo, apparently, has also been waiting for it - he almost immediately parts his lips, coaxing Hux’s mouth open with his tongue, and before he knows it Hux feels the towel being ripped away from his hips and discarded on the floor. A hand appears at the nape of Hux’s neck, another at the base of his cock; the former pulling him closer to Kylo, the latter filling him to erection. Kylo tugs lightly at the shaggy hair falling over Hux’s neck, spurring Hux’s own hands to action.

He moves to unbutton and unzip Kylo’s shorts, purposely brushing over Kylo’s crotch as he wrenches the shorts down a little too enthusiastically. Reaching into the boxers beneath, Hux relishes the sound of Kylo’s gasp as he circles his fingers around Kylo’s quickly hardening dick, giving it a few pumps to help. His other hand moves to Kylo’s perineum, stroking forwards and lightly dragging fingertips under his balls, and Kylo growls in response - his own hand on Hux speeds up. Hux moves his teasing hands, sliding them along the waistband of Kylo’s boxers to stretch them just enough to pull them down past Kylo’s ass.

Once both his shorts and boxers are halfway down his thigh, Kylo collapses backwards onto the bed, pulling Hux down with him. He pulls his mouth away from Hux’s, leaning down to wiggle his clothing completely off and taking the opportunity to lick at Hux’s neck. Hux throws his head back in a sigh, settling his knees on either side of Kylo’s hips and his hands by Kylo’s ears. He shamelessly ruts against Kylo below him, rubbing their cocks together in a way that gets them both moaning obscenely.

“I missed you,” Kylo pants, his voice heady with arousal.

_This is only our second meeting_ , Hux wants to say. _How could you have missed me?_

“Me too,” is what he manages to breathe out instead.

Kylo moves his hands to Hux’s waist, flipping them over and shuffling them closer to the head of the bed. He pauses, stopping all movement to hold Hux’s gaze for a minute; Hux leans forward to nip at Kylo’s swollen bottom lip to get him moving again. Kylo all but attacks Hux’s neck in retaliation, yet he’s considerate enough to avoid the sunburnt patches of skin by focusing his attention on Hux’s collarbone. But Kylo doesn’t stop there - he continues mouthing down Hux’s chest until he reaches a sensitive nipple and bites and licks it until Hux is keening, his fist tightening in Kylo’s hair.

“Stop,” he sighs. “Want you up here.” He pulls Kylo by the hair back to face him and all but shoves his tongue past Kylo’s lips.

Kylo is happy to oblige.

Hux moves his free hand to grab the bottle of lube on the bedside table. Spreading his thighs around Kylo’s hips, he lets go of Kylo’s hair and uses both his hands to uncap the bottle, pouring some out onto the fingers of his dominant hand. He pushes a finger into himself without preamble, hissing slightly at the burn.

It will make him really sore in the aftermath, but he can’t bring himself to care right now.

“Are you going to help me?” Hux asks against Kylo’s mouth.

“Mm,” is all Kylo manages to reply, seeing as he is already biting at Hux’s bottom lip again.

Kylo spreads some lube onto his own fingers, teasing the ring of muscle around Hux’s hole slightly before he adds it to the one finger already thrusting in and out. After a few minutes Kylo adds another, making the total three, and he moves his free hand onto Hux’s dick to pump in time with their fingers. Hux can feel his own pre-come leaking out and down his shaft, being rubbed along it by Kylo’s hand. All the sensations are too much - Hux won’t last much longer if Kylo keeps this up.

“If you don’t fuck me right now,” Hux hisses, “I will personally make sure you have blue balls for the rest of your life.”

“As tempting as the _very last_ part of that sounds,” Kylo purrs, “I’d rather fuck you than have blue balls. Are you sure you’re ready?”

Hux blindly reaches for the nightstand, grabbing a condom and shoving it at Kylo. “ _Now_.”

The warmth of Kylo’s hands leaves Hux’s body completely while he turns his attention to the condom. Hux makes a completely undignified sound as he removes his own finger from his ass, panting at the ceiling for a few seconds as he waits for Kylo to be ready.

“Hux?” Kylo’s faces hovers above him while Hux can feel his dick already poking at Hux’s entrance. Kylo supports his weight on his hands bracketing Hux’s shoulders. “Yes?”

His response is to cup Kylo’s face with both hands and bring it down for a bruising kiss.

Kylo breaches him fast, without hesitation, bottoming out all too quickly, and they both moan into each other’s mouths at the feel. Hux almost comes right there from the pleasurable burn but holds himself back - he knows waiting will be worth it.

And he’s right; after a minute to get used to the feeling, Kylo sets a steady pace, thrusting into him and somehow finding and hitting _that_ spot with every push. Hux clenches around him to speed up their rhythm and twists his ankles together behind Kylo’s back to push him impossibly deeper. He moves a hand to tug at Kylo’s hair again and the other to pump his own cock, trying his best to time it with Kylo’s thrusts.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Kylo moans. “I’m- I won’t last long. You feel so _good_ , Hux, fuck.”

The sound of Kylo’s hoarse voice, thick with lust, pushes Hux even closer to the edge.

“I’m close, Kylo, _fuck_ , I’m close.”

A look flashes through Kylo’s eyes. He leans down and whispers into Hux’s ear, his voice soft and raspy.

“Come for me, baby.”

Hux comes all over his stomach with a shout - a string of curses interspersed with Kylo’s name - and doesn’t even bother thinking about how thin the walls of this hotel might be. Kylo follows soon after, equally as loud and equally as intense. His arms give way and he collapses onto Hux, both of them laying there with their chests heaving.

As soon as he recovers from the high, Hux realises that they left not only the lights on but also the bloody TV. There’s no way Hux is going to allow himself to lay here, a mess on top of the made bed, on full view in the light - no, both of them need to rinse off before sleeping.

“Up,” Hux says, his arms already pushing Kylo away. “Shower, now.”

Kylo doesn’t bother arguing and the two of them shuffle into the bathroom. Kylo carefully peels off and disposes of the condom before Hux practically shoves him into the shower stall, strategically placing him between Hux and the spray. The bulk of Kylo, facing away from Hux, takes up most of the water as Hux intended - it saves his hair from getting wet again since he _did_ wash it already tonight. Hux uses the shower as an excuse to explore Kylo’s entire body with his hands, under the guise of soaping him up and washing him while Kylo washes his own hair. He takes his time lathering the soap, massaging it across the smooth (not sunburned) expanse of Kylo’s skin, drawing lines between his moles. Kylo is hard again by the time Hux is done; while Hux jerks him off he places open-mouthed kisses across Kylo’s shoulders and the back of his neck. Kylo comes with a soft sigh, the evidence carried away down the drain by the running water.

Kylo turns around then, closing the little distance between their faces to kiss Hux.

“You don’t have to,” Hux says when he feels Kylo’s hand snaking down towards his hips. “I’m fine.”

And he is. He enjoyed giving Kylo pleasure, but he’s not hard himself. For tonight, once was enough for him.

“You sure?” Kylo asks, an uncertain look in his eyes.

“Yes.” Hux kisses him again briefly before reaching around him to turn the water off. “This is the part where you get your revenge by leaving me silently in the morning.”

Kylo narrows his eyes, curling a possessive hand around the back of Hux’s neck. “I don’t want revenge.”

“Well, you have the option for a few more hours, at least.” Hux clambers out of the shower, handing Kylo the spare untouched towel, and walks back through the room dripping water to retrieve his own from the floor.

After he’s satisfied with the minimal amount of pat-down drying, he folds over the top sheet (trying not to grimace as he spots a small stain his come has left on it) and climbs into the bed, finally turning off the damn TV. Kylo joins him after turning off the lights, immediately wrapping an arm around Hux’s shoulder and pulling him to Kylo’s side. Hux rests his head on Kylo’s chest, listening to his heartbeat settle, while Kylo’s free hand moves to play with Hux’s increasingly shaggy hair.

When did they get so… _domestic_?

They lay like that, Hux waiting for sleep to claim them, but it comes to neither - Kylo’s breathing is still erratic for a long while, even after his heart has settled, until he apparently can’t take the silence anymore.

“Hux?”

“Mm?”

“You awake?”

“No.”

Kylo pokes the crown of his head. “Can’t sleep?”

“Neither can you.”

The hand in his hair disappears. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

Hux lifts his head from Kylo’s chest to look at him as best he can in the dark. “Kylo… it’s 3am.”

“Yeah, but if we can’t sleep we might as well go out, right?”

Sighing, Hux extricates himself from Kylo’s arms and gets out of bed. He picks up his discarded tank top from the floor before collecting Kylo’s t-shirt and throwing it on his face. Kylo chuckles from under the fabric as Hux pulls on his shorts and top.

Once they’re dressed, they silently exit the room and descend the stairs, escaping through the deserted lobby. Kylo leads the way down the street, past the Family Mart, past _Khun Roti_ ’s now-closed stall, towards a row of mopeds parked by the corner of the road. Kylo beelines towards one of them and unlocks the seat, opening up the storage compartment to pull out a helmet.

“This… this is yours?” Hux asks.

“Kind of. It’s mine while I’m here.”

Hux crosses his arms. “That’s not a reassuring answer. Please tell me you didn’t steal this moped.”

“No, you idiot,” Kylo laughs. “I don’t want to go to jail. This _motorbike_ belongs to one of the full-time teachers. She just bought a car and didn’t need it anymore, so I’m borrowing it.” He holds the helmet out to Hux. “Put it on.”

“No. Absolutely not. I took a motorbike taxi in Bangkok once and I swore I’d never ride on one again.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course not.”

“ _Hux_.”

“ _Kylo_.”

Kylo shakes his helmet-holding hand at Hux.

“If I die I’m coming back to kill you,” Hux quips as he takes it and straps it on.

“If you die on this bike there’s a high chance I’ll be dead, too.” Kylo chides and climbs on.

“You’re not wearing a helmet?”

Kylo shrugs. “I only have the one. Besides, no one ever uses helmets here, and there’s barely anyone else on the road at this time. But I’ll drive slow.”

Hux awkwardly throws a leg over the seat, trying not to wince at the soreness of his ass, and grips the handlebars behind him. “Well, if you hurt yourself… better you than me.”

“Thanks for the support,” Kylo laughs. He grabs Hux’s forearms and pulls them around his waist, forcing Hux to grip his own hands in front of Kylo’s torso. “And while we’re talking about reducing your chances of getting injured, this is more secure.”

Before Hux can protest, Kylo guns the engine and kicks off the stand, heading down the road. The streets are relatively quiet, and though the small motorbike (though it’s more like a scooter, and Hux isn’t sure why Kylo insists on calling it otherwise) is not loud, it feels like it’s roaring through the streets in comparison to the still night. Kylo knows the streets well, apparently, since he’s confidently guiding them to some place without hesitation. It takes Hux about twenty minutes before he realises Kylo is heading for the outskirts of the city, back near the hills of _Doi Suthep_ that will have a stunning east-facing view.

Is Kylo really taking him to watch the sunrise?

They drive for almost another twenty minutes, and Hux is almost wishing he brought a sweater by the time they reach a viewpoint in the hills - the wind roaring past his bare shoulders is chilly, but Kylo’s body heat and sheer width keep Hux from feeling completely cold. They climb off the bike, Hux unceremoniously removing the helmet from his head and leaving it on the seat while Kylo plops down on the ground, facing east towards the pre-dawn. Hux hesitates before he gingerly sits down next to Kylo; he doesn’t particularly want dirt on his shorts, but he’ll probably have to wash some of his clothes soon anyway.

“Since I was a kid, I loved watching the skies,” Kylo says after a few minutes. He’s staring up at the stars, still clearly visible in the grey-blue sky. “I even used to have a telescope, not a professional stargazing one, but a good enough quality. Well, for me, at least.” He points at a constellation. “Look. That one is the Little Dipper, or as most of the world calls it Ursa Minor. The tip, see there? The brightest one, at the end of its tail? That’s Polaris. The North Star. You can see it from almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere.”

Hux, who has never been a fan of the outdoors, has never been camping, and by extension has never been stargazing, finds himself quite impressed. “Do you study astronomy?”

“Pff,” Kylo scoffs. “That’s easy stuff. Most people know that. And yeah, I love astronomy but I sure as hell don’t study it. I can name and point out more constellations than most average people, sure, but I’m _not_ an astronomer.

Now that he thinks about it, Kylo never actually told him what he studies in college. Before he can think twice about asking, he tells him so.

Kylo glances at him briefly before turning his attention back to the sky. “What do _you_ think I study?”

Hux considers the question. Kylo is a man of many talents, was there anything he was _especially_ good at that Hux knew?

“You study languages, don’t you?”

The small smile seems to respond in the affirmative.

“Very observant, Doctor Hux,” Kylo chuckles. “But, honestly, before coming here I didn’t know what I wanted to declare my major in. Coming here, teaching English, studying Thai… it helped me realise what I want to do. Language is so, _so_ important.” Kylo gestures around them. “Language connects us. Binds us. Allows us to interact with each other. Communication is what elevates animals from crude matter to luminous beings, but _language_ is what distinguishes humans.”

Hux rolls his eyes. “Evolutionarily speaking, that’s opposable thumbs and higher brain power. But please, continue.”

Kylo shoots Hux an annoyed look. “You know what I mean.”

“Yes, and I said please continue.”

Sighing, Kylo turns back to the sky. “That’s all, really. There’s just so much potential to study, to research, about languages around the world - the history, the origins, the similarities and differences. I want to pursue that line of research. And I actually enjoy teaching the kids here, so I wouldn’t be opposed to going into academia. So long as I can do my research.”

“So,” Hux says as he tilts his head towards the sky, “a PhD in linguistics after college, then?”

“That’s the goal for now, yes.”

Hux turns back to Kylo. “That sounds like an excellent plan. You certainly sound like you know what you’re talking about, Kylo. Why were you unsure before?”

“The first year and a half of college was…” Kylo twists his mouth into a sour expression. “Not a good experience. I wasn’t happy. But now, now that I know what I want… I think I can handle going back.”

Hux frowns. “Why weren’t you happy before?”

“Long story,” Kylo shakes his head.

“We have time.” Hux gestures to the grey night in front of them.

“It’s not…” Kylo sighs. “Not even Jacen and Aphra know this. Jaina does, she’s easy to talk to, but…” Kylo trails off, remaining silent for a few minutes. Hux is about to say something else when finally Kylo speaks again. “I lied to you in Bangkok.”

“What?”

“I didn’t… I didn’t take the semester off. I just… didn’t go back after winter break.”

“You dropped out of school?”

Kylo swallows. “Yes. But give me a chance to explain before you judge me for it.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Kylo. You’re an adult, you can make decisions for yourself. Obviously if you made that decision there’s a reason for it, because you’re a smart man and I don’t doubt that for a second.”

“You’re taking that better than my parents did,” Kylo grumbles.

Hux furrows his brows. “What happened?”

“So I’ve… I’ve always had a difficult relationship with my family. There have always been… expectations of me. To do certain things, and to do them a certain way. Ever since I was a kid, hell, probably before I was born - things were expected of me.” Kylo sighs. “It’s not easy, growing up like that. Especially when your parents are constantly working.”

“What do they do?”

“My mother was a diplomat. Turned politician a few years ago. My father is many things, from an entrepreneur to a smuggler to an all-around scoundrel, but his most legit job title has been ‘charter pilot.’ Both of them have always wanted me to follow in their footsteps. It was like they were playing tug of war with me, honestly. I don’t even think they realised they were doing it,” Kylo frowns. He stretches his arms, setting down a hand behind Hux’s back so that their body heat is shared. “It was worst when I left for college. Trying to double-major in poli-sci and aviation is not easy. I failed two classes last fall and, well, I walked out after the huge fight. Took my college fund with me. They haven’t reached out since so…” he shrugs, as if this was the most casual conversation in the world. “So that’s that, I guess.”

Hux tries very hard not to show his conflicted emotions on his face. Kylo just… walked out? On his parents? And hasn’t spoken with them since? Hux can understand bad parenting - his own father was so terrible that Hux was removed from his custody - but Kylo’s parents don’t seem to have malicious intent. Just… overly forceful.

He weighs his next words before he says them. “I’m sure your parents only wanted the best for you, Kylo.”

“Shut up,” Kylo snaps, leaning away from Hux. “You don’t know that. You don’t know what it’s like to be under constant pressure from all directions, pulled this way and that. I felt like I was being torn apart.”

“Maybe,” Hux shrugs, “and I’ve never met your parents but it really sounds like they just wanted to help you find your way. Perhaps a little too forcefully, perhaps trying to mould you a little too much after them, but… they do care.”

Kylo almost _growls_. “Fuck off, Hux. You’re in no position to tell me how my parents feel.”

“You’re right,” Hux snarls. Kylo is really starting to piss him off. “I’m not the right person to tell you that, seeing as _I_ never knew the love of my own parents. Brendol never loved anything in this universe. And though Rae was a good guardian, and an even better mentor, she wasn’t my mother. So what the hell does someone like me, someone with no family, someone who’s never had a family, know about parents?”

“Fuck, I…” Kylo goes wide-eyed, backtracking immediately. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Hux lets out a long exhale. “Whatever. Let’s not… let’s just agree that neither of us knows what it’s like, alright?”

They remain silent for a while, each uncomfortable with the previous exchange. Hux decides to change the subject.

“Tell me about the US, Kylo.”

Kylo turns to him with a perplexed look in his eye. “Why?”

Hux clears his throat. He hasn’t spoken about this with anyone, aside from his professors at school who had to supply him with recommendation letters. “I need to leave England. There’s nothing for me there - no family, not really any friends. Too many memories. Most of them not… good. I want a clean slate, and I started with this trip. I applied to do my residency in America, so that when I fly back to England it will hopefully just be to pack up my things.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Hux shrugs. That’s a good question.

“Change of subject. And you were so open with me, I figured it was only fair I returned the favour.”

Kylo hums in acknowledgement, turning back to the pale grey horizon. “Where in the US do you want to know about? It’s a pretty big country.”

“Northern California, I suppose.”

“NorCal?” Kylo looks at Hux again. “Why there?”

Hux leans closer to Kylo’s side to go back to their position of earlier. “My top choice hospital is there.”

“That seems kind of random.”

“Not really,” Hux shakes his head. “Rae was involved in the development of a lot of surgical technology, so she founded a company for production. With her work through Imperial Industries she had connections with a lot of hospitals, but she had a soft spot with one in particular. They even appointed her to the board. I’m hoping my connection with her will help convince First Order Hospital to take me, even though I’ll have to do an exam to translate my degree from UK to US standards.”

“They’d be crazy not to,” Kylo offers Hux a small smile. Hux returns it.

“Thank you.”

The sky is pink-orange before either of them speak again.

“Hey Hux?”

“Mm?”

“When you move to the US… you should look me up.”

*

Hux spends more time in Chiang Mai than he originally anticipated before he flies to Bali for a week and spends another in Phnom Penh, travelling there by bus (stopping in Chonburi, Rayong, and Trat along the way). Kylo extends his stay in Thailand, using the extra month not spent teaching to travel with Hux. They spend two weeks in Laos, travel down to Koh Samui for the full moon party, and for their last few days they return to Bangkok.

Kylo books his return to the US on the same day as Hux’s flight to England, somehow snagging a seat on a Continental flight that leaves only two hours earlier (“I have special powers of persuasion,” Kylo smirks). And though the woman at the counter gives Hux an odd look for showing up at the airport four hours before his flight, he manages to swindle his way to an early check-in and walks Kylo all the way to his gate.

“There’s, uh, something else I haven’t told you,” Kylo half-mumbles, just as the gate agent announces business class has started boarding.

“Really?” Hux raises an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been sleeping with me for three months, and you’re waiting to tell me _now_?”

Kylo nudges him with his shoulder. “It only became relevant now.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“I, uh, actually know plenty about First Order Hospital. My family is from the Bay Area. And… well, there are some good schools around with some pretty good linguistics programs… all of which I’m considering. For, um, for grad school.”

Hux smiles. “Then I guess I’ll be seeing you.”

Kylo leans down to kiss him. “You haven’t seen the last of me, Armitage.”

Hux sincerely hopes he hasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for your comments, kudos, and love!! it definitely helped me get my shit together and finish this (◕‿◕✿) this ended up wayyyyy longer than i expected… these boys just do whatever they want! and of course, this AU now has a [moodboard](http://bioticnerfherder.tumblr.com/post/157965789491) on my tumblr. i’m not done with them yet (since they seem adamant on taking over my entire life), more short fics in this ‘verse to come!
> 
> PS. all the pop culture/current event references mentioned are old (aka currently outdated) to purposely place this fic on a timeline! the football tournament is probably the biggest clue lol
> 
> EDIT: don't forget to check out the [absolutely beautiful art](http://bioticnerfherder.tumblr.com/post/159621197221) done by [sigalawin](http://sigalawin.tumblr.com/) on tumblr! :)


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